Forever Five: Diesel

Waxx Lyrical
2 days ago
2 min read

Some artists evolve with the times. Others seem to exist just outside of them — timeless, grounded, and quietly pivotal. Diesel is one of the latter. Before the world knew him simply by that one sharp moniker, he was Johnny Diesel & The Injectors: a slick, blues-charged outfit that burst onto the late-'80s scene with punchy precision and swagger to burn. Then came Hep Fidelity, his debut solo album, and everything got a little wider, a little deeper, and a whole lot more soulful. The hits flowed — and so did the sense that here was an artist with staying power.

What’s always set Diesel apart is his ability to thread emotional weight through virtuosic playing. He’s a guitar hero to many — not least his brother-in-law Jimmy Barnes — but his real gift is restraint: knowing when to let it rip and when to let the silence say just as much. Over three decades of records, collaborations, and constantly-touring, constantly-evolving live Sshows, he’s built a reputation not just as a musician’s musician, but as someone whose blend of soul, rock, blues and finesse is entirely his own. And then there’s the taste. The reference points. The deep well he draws from. This week’s Forever Five pulls back the curtain just a little. These are records full of satin grooves, stripped-back vulnerability, slinky rhythms and fiery fretwork — a map of influence as eclectic and dialled-in as Diesel’s own sound. A little introspective, a little explosive, always full of feel.